At the end of January, Red Tractor confirmed that the European Commission had assessed it to be a recognised scheme under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), retaining the UK’s access to the biofuels market.
Brexit and changes to RED had meant that UK farm assured growers risked losing access to this market at the end of 2023. This announcement means that all Red Tractor farmers will be able to maintain the benefits of RED including avoiding additional audits and preventing the displacement of UK grain via imports of RED-certified produce.
Red Tractor combinable crops and sugar beet chairman, Kit Papworth explained: “The European Commission’s decision to renew Red Tractor’s accreditation to the Renewable Energy Directive is a hugely positive outcome for all UK arable farmers. While not all UK farmers choose to grow specifically for the biofuels market, the accreditation also has the potential to lift the grain price for all crop growers. The decision reflects the Red Tractor technical team’s outstanding skill and dedication to delivering tangible results for UK agriculture.”
NFU crops and oilseed chairman, Matt Culley said: “Without the work of the Red Tractor team and other industry stakeholders, arable farmers in England and Wales could easily have lost access to the EU biofuels market at the end of 2023. The team at Red Tractor has worked tirelessly over the past two years to understand the challenges in detail and explore every available solution. This has enabled continued access to this vital multimillion pound market for those arable farmers.”
Red Tractor chief executive, Jim Moseley, said: “I’m delighted we have secured the renewal. For farmers, what that means is you have continued access to the biofuels market. That includes both domestic and export trading opportunities. This renewed recognition from the European Commission of the Red Tractor Combinable Crops standard is great news for farmers. It opens their options to grow crops for food or biofuel, without requiring any different or additional effort on farm.”
For more information go to www.redtractor.org.uk